The applicance of science: Web 2.0
Not since the appearance of the steam engine started Britain on the path of industrialisation has a technology inaugurated such significant change.
It’s a grand statement but the popularity of the new web tools and social networking sites with scientists makes it increasingly believable. Scientists are taking up technological advances with a fervour not yet seen in other professions. The result is that the internet is transforming the way in which research is carried out, progressed and – perhaps most significantly of all – showcased.
A pain in the neck
“In a research environment lots of tools were a pain in the neck but then came Web 2.0 and allowed people to share information and replicate what a university environment would be like,” says John Newton, CTO and chairman of open source enterprise content management supplier Alfresco.
One scientist who can’t hide his enthusiasm for web tools is Matthew Collins, professor of archaeology at York University. “Google Sites has revolutionised the way we work,” he says. Every research programme run by his department has its own remotely updatable microsite.
The rise of websites such as online encyclopedia Wikipedia and social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook is transforming the dissemination of research.
In scientific circles, cross-border or cross-company collaboration used to happen rarely, if it happened at all. Even email is too clunky to lend itself to a flowing, real-time conversation...
